MMS News & Notes

MMS Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are having a terrific week and have enjoyed some well-needed sunshine. As a reminder, school will be closed for students tomorrow, October 11. School is closed for Fall Break on Monday, October 14. With the end of the first marking period on October 29, that means there are eleven (11) days of school remaining for students in the marking period. Please do not wait to review with your child his/her grades in Sapphire to ensure all work has been completed and submitted.

Additionally, the students have been doing a really good job following the CATS' Code. This past week, we began taking teams outside at lunch for some fresh air and exercise. We do, however, need your assistance in reiterating our cell phone policy with your child. Our policy clearly states that cell phones must be powered down (not silenced) when they enter the building and not turned back on until PM dismissal. Students are permitted to use the office phone if they need to contact you. Additionally, we ask you to call the office if you need information conveyed to your child during the day. We have seen an uptick in situations involving cell phones compared to last year at this time. We greatly appreciate any assistance you can provide.

Lastly, I hope you have a restful weekend. Take time to enjoy this beautiful weather and find ways to slow things down. We will see your child again on Tuesday, October 15th. Be well!

Joel Yohn

MMS Principal

MMS is proud to host the Veterans Legacy Lap on Thursday, November 7th, in the morning. All MMS students and faculty have the opportunity to participate by walking three laps around the school building to honor and celebrate our veterans.

We invite families to join us in this special event. If you would like to honor a veteran or have a veteran who would like to walk with us, please scan the QR code or click on the REGISTER TODAY link.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together, show our appreciation, and recognize the selfless service of those who have made an #iMPACT by serving our country. Register today to honor a veteran or invite your veteran to join you in the Legacy Lap!

At the beginning of the year it is required that one parent log on to the Sapphire portal and update your child's beginning of year information. There is no hard copy to complete it must be done electronically. This will ensure we have the most up to date information for your child. Email address and phone numbers can be updated through Sapphire at any time throughout the year. All forms were due on September 20th. We are still waiting for a number of parents to complete the form.

Please go in today to complete this brief form. (http://sapphire.mbgsd.org). Thank you!

• October 11 - Act 80 Day (K-12) No School for Students
• October 14 - Fall Recess Schools Closed
• October 31 - School is in Session at MMS (Act 80 Day for Elmwood Academy Gr 4/5 ONLY)
• November 1 - No School for Students (K-12 Act 80 Day)

Attention all skiers and snowboarders! Winter will be here before you know it, and MMS ski club is gearing up for another great season. Ski club is open to skiers and snowboarders of all ability levels in 6th through 12th grades. Never skied or snowboarded before? No problem! Options for beginners are available, including lift tickets, lessons, and rentals. Students with Epic Passes are welcome to join as well. Please check out this link or see Mr. Shotts for more information on how you can join.

Yearbooks are on sale now through March 28, 2025. Pre-order your 2024-2025 yearbook online at ybpay.com OR yppay.lifetouch.com and enter school code #1212225 to reserve a code. Be sure to pre-order a copy for your student now to guarantee that they receive one at the end of the school year. Limited copies of the yearbook may be available for purchase at the time of delivery but are not guaranteed.

Veteran's Day Legacy Lap Volunteers Needed:

Assistance is needed from 9-11:00 AM on Thursday, November 7th for the 2nd annual MMS Veteran's Day Legacy Lap. Several volunteers plus water donations are needed. Click here to check out the opportunities to support this amazing event!

Student Activity Fundraising Drive:

The 24-25 MMS Student Activity Fundraising Drive is winding down! Please see the attached flyer for more information or click here to submit your donation to help offset the cost of school-wide events such as field trips, JA YES! Day and much more.

Follow us on Facebook:

Mechanicsburg Middle School PTO @ facebook.com/MbgsdMMSPTO for updates, information, and volunteer opportunities at MMS.

If your student is signed up for the vaccine clinic being held on Friday, October 11th, please bring them to the Wildcat Activity Center (located behind the high school, next to the track). Sadler Health Center will be there to provide required vaccines for students in grades K-8.

Medications in school: If your student needs to take any prescription medication during the school day, we will need a written physician order and the medication in the original bottle with the pharmacy label attached. If your student has emergency medication for seizures, asthma or allergies, the required forms can be found here, along with the medication policy: https://www.mbgsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=838633&type=d&pREC_ID=1820507

Physical/Dental exams: 6th grade is required to have a physical and 7th grade is required to have a dental exam and immunizations for TDAP and Meningitis. Exams completed in the past year can be accepted. Here is the link for all of the district health forms. It can also be found on the district home page, under District Services – Health Services – Health Forms.

https://www.mbgsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=838633&type=d&pREC_ID=1820507

If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s health, please contact the health room at (717) 691-2454, or email Mrs. Kessler skessler@mbgsd.org, or Mrs. Kresge jkresge@mbgsd.org . Thank you for helping us to keep everyone safe and healthy.

Mechanicsburg Area School District is privileged to offer a weekend food distribution program free of charge for those who may need or want it. Weekly non-perishable and easy to prepare foods are made available to middle school students and their families who pre-register with The MMS Marketplace and students are reminded that they should not open their food packs until arriving home. Students or their parent/guardian may register for a weekend Food Pack by scanning this QR Code, emailing Mrs. Coffman at mcoffman@mbgsd.org, or by contacting the school counselor to be included in the program.

MMS conducts evacuation drills, relocation drills, and assorted other safety drills monthly. Also, once per semester, we conduct lockdown drills. All drills are conducted in accordance with MASD safety protocols. Additionally, the Upper Allen Police Department often attend to monitor and provide feedback.

Here are some important points to remember:

• It is important to avoid blindly sharing rumors and posts online that refer to school safety threats. Even if the threats are not credible, they can still cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for our students, families, and staff. We ask our families to monitor their children’s social media activity and speak with them about appropriate online behaviors.

• We all play a vital role in school safety. We ask that our families, staff, and students continue to remain vigilant and report any concerning behavior or messaging. The best method to report an issue is to notify your child’s teacher or administrator. If the concern occurs after hours and is of an emergent nature or you wish to remain anonymous, then you can report a concern through the Safe2Say program (through the Safe2Say app, www.safe2saypa.org or by calling 1-844-723-2729).

• STOP the PROP - You may begin to see the red STOP THE PROP stickers strategically placed on doors throughout the district as we raise awareness to the importance of ensuring exterior doors are always closed and locked from the outside.
  

• Remain confident that we will reach out to you should there ever be a cause for concern. Be sure to keep your information updated within the Sapphire Parent Portal to ensure you get school and district messages.

In an effort to ensure that we are providing our students with a safe and orderly parent/guardian drop-off and pick-up area at MMS, we would like to send out the following changes regarding our process as the school year begins.

Traffic:

• To drop off or pick up students, enter MMS Campus at the light near Upper Allen Elementary School. The entrance off Market Street near Lindenwood is closed to vehicles and will be used solely for the school buses.
• Drivers of vehicles picking up or dropping off students are to use the Counseling entrance driveway and students will enter the building at this entrance.
• This area will be coned off into two lanes in order to allow vehicles to serpentine to the drop off point. (Figure A)
• Drivers of vehicles picking up or dropping off students must pull up as far as possible in the driveway towards Upper Allen Elementary School before stopping to ensure that our traffic does not interfere with bus patterns and Market Street traffic.
• Drivers of vehicles picking up or dropping off students should use extreme care and caution when attempting to pass another vehicle in our driveway and when crossing over the designated pedestrian crosswalk.
• Students are to exit vehicles to the right side of the vehicle onto the sidewalk and walk directly to the Counseling Office entrance.

Find us on Facebook and Instagram:

Instagram(New): @mmsprincipals

Facebook: Mechanicsburg Middle School PTO

Mechanicsburg Middle School

1750 S. Market Street

Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Phone: (717)691-4560

Fax: (717-791-7977